Network repeaters play an increasingly important role in wireless communication networks. While traditional repeater installations extended general radio service into areas not well covered by a network's fixed base stations, designers now view repeaters as an effective mechanism for extending high bit rate services to cell edge users, and in other scenarios where high data rate users do not have line-of-sight (LOS) service to a controlling base station.
As a non-limiting example, a controlling base station may provide sufficient signal strength in a given service area for low-rate data and control signaling, but may rely on one or more repeaters for extending high data rate services into that area. LTE Advanced, IEEE802.16j/m, and other next-generation wireless communication systems contemplate such scenarios.
“Always on” repeater configurations leave a repeater's receive/transmit circuitry on continuously at an operational gain level, meaning that the repeater is always available for signal repeating, but also meaning that the repeater burns power without regard to whether any users actually need the repeater for service coverage. In such cases, the repeater's transmissions represent an unnecessary source of interference within the network, which can detract from overall uplink/downlink capacity.
While the always-on configuration may make sense in installations where a repeater extends general radio service, it is much less sensible in cases where the repeater acts as a booster for high-rate services. In such cases, from power consumption and interference considerations, it is more desirable to operate the repeater on an as-needed basis. That is, the repeater is selectively activated only when needed to repeat high-rate service signals to and/or from high-rate users operating within a coverage area of the repeater. However, it is recognized herein that activating and inactivating repeaters in this manner results in potentially significant disruptions in the background interference perceived by other radio receivers operating within the wireless communication network.